


Append:9999

by Seraph_Years



Series: Disjointed Misc. [4]
Category: Furry (Fandom), Overture (2020), Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Stealth Sequel, Tags Contain Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-22
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-13 20:49:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28909602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seraph_Years/pseuds/Seraph_Years
Summary: Our enemies were taught to believe that the state of pensiveness, or deep in thought, was the same as depressiveness, based solely on the nature of a single face. However, it remains a lie spread to condone the reproduction of the infamous "Twosides", the ravenous monsters of the Out There everyone knows about.This is not about the Twosides. This is the ultimate test of heart.[Takes place within and after the events of the chapters of Overture Book 2 published in January.]
Series: Disjointed Misc. [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2146623





	1. Sequence 1

This was it. The final test of heart. No turning back from this point. Twelve rooms that test the power of any who dare travel it. Taylor braced himself for this very opportunity to unlock the last upgrade he could ever have. With that, he set himself forward past the entrance lined with stone blocks. The wall shut itself off behind him.

(Sequence 1A)

Before the first section could be breached, Taylor has to contend with a standard enemy formation in a room made of familiar-looking blocks: Three Twosides and one flying Twoside. A humanoid face enemy with wings.

[Turn 1]

Cat’s Meow – Taylor’s beam sword – made short work of the three standing Twosides with carefully placed cuts and graceful twirls. However…

[Turn 2]

The winged Twoside attempts an aerial advance on Taylor. A careful counterattack – an ascending cut – quickly makes short work of it.

(Sequence 1B)

Downstairs, Taylor finds the weirdest circumstance he’s been delivered. He, along with black silhouettes of a cheetah, a squirrel, and another cat are fighting those same Twosides in a supermarket’s electronics section, seemingly paying him no mind. He wanted to do battle with the Twosides along with them, but given the way they are defending themselves…

The cheetah used strong leg attacks to demolish and launch the enemies.

The squirrel made use of quick combos using her cards and summoned weapons.

The cat made things quick by launching powerful spells from her hands and feet, reducing the Twosides to ash.

...he changed his mind and went further from them. Along the way, he picked up some books that caught his eye in another section.

A coloring book filled with cats…

A storybook that includes, among other things, a narrative about two foxes swindling money from other mammals…

Several children’s books.

While Taylor didn’t take any, he did peer inside a few. The elegant designs on these mammals put an all-too-noticeable sting on his heart, though it didn’t affect his composed interior too much. It was only when he diverted himself to the holiday cards section that his direction became more wayward.

Over there, he peered into the different cards shown off, each providing encouraging messages that didn’t fit the time of day nor the recipient (it wasn’t Taylor’s birthday). They targeted the heart, hitting the hardest they possibly could. He flinched and lurched forward, trying desperately to hold on to himself.

_This is not… I’m clearly not ready for this…_

However, this was not the end of him. Or, at least, his heart.

The moment came when he peered into a certain Valentine’s Day card.

_This’ll be a blast for me, I’m sure of it._

He takes a look at the front cover, whose words open his heart:

“What’s the difference between [the recipient] and a basket of kittens?”

and his struggles to open the huge card utterly pulverize him when he does get it open:

“[the recipient is] cuter!”  
  
Launched across the room, Taylor sees himself inside of an ethereal field…  
  
  


(Sequence 1C)

_Am I dead? Is this a layer I have yet to crack open?_

A red panda’s black silhouette greets Taylor, introducing him to his Layer Challenge of Sequence 1:

“Here in the heart’s first layer, you must eliminate me in combat! Wear me down until I can no longer fight!”

_Well why would I have to fight you?_

She proves her stance in the challenge through her rapid series of melee attacks. Channeling some pink force, she is able to move around the arena faster than the eyes of most mammals can see. With this, Taylor can only parry what she does and reply in kind. Her movement compliments her fighting style, which is what Taylor has a hard time with. Eventually, he comes up with a compromise: Move and attack at her pace.

The combatants move at the kind of speeds that cause time to halt, giving them more room to clash until one of them lands a hit. Moving at such blinding speeds means that one clean hit means instant death.

Taylor’s parry system works wonders; he blocks her attack and counters with a similar one, cleaving her image in two.

[Sequence 1 complete]


	2. Sequence 2

(Sequence 2A)

Taylor engages a transformation into a metallic, winged body, dubbed “Spirit Fighter” as he takes on Rozanne’s downsized image. Using a combination of cuts and melee rushes, he can keep up with her pace with ease.

 _Picking up a tarot card (_ _[_ _V] The Heirophant_ _) should not be this difficult!_

It wasn’t the strength of the card, it was what was on it. The hesitant nature of a stone heart like Taylor’s was yet to be cracked by something as [REDACTED] as Rozanne’s visage.

Catch the card, receive #5. Rozanne, unmoving, continues to provide a challenge for Taylor and his attempts to resist--

(Sequence 2B)

Four pairs of eyes in the distance. Each modeled after Rozanne herself. Their unique appearances strike a distinct contrast each other. Because their fur colors are similar, they are recognized by eye color:

Valkyrie, who possesses the color green with rougher shading on the fur…

Tazmily, red-eyed and dark-shaded….

Perrault, black-eyed with a realistic shading pattern..

And finally, Rosemary, who looks the closest to Rozanne this side of the eye color (blue).

They don’t engage Taylor in combat. Instead, they guide him to the Dark Tower, the source of all of his desire to turn back. Unpeturbed, Taylor soars to the middle of the tower with Spirit Fighter, eager to confront Rozanne and learn the secret to how everyone else manages to resist that frightening power.

_Le niveau de tolérance d'une âme pour les pouvoirs communs décrits dans la Hiérarchie Aiguë dépend uniquement du maintien de l'équilibre de l'utilisateur, c'est-à-dire de sa volonté de garder son personnage «sérieux» en état d'alerte. Ils font cela pour éviter de briser leur «caractère» déjà établi, les traits principaux de leur personnage. Cependant, il y a un temps où le masque doit être déployé, la barrière de verre séparant les deux mondes brisée. C'est là que les petites choses sont les plus appréciées et soignées. C'est à ce moment-là que nous laissons tomber nos cheveux et que nous nous réjouissons._

_Le bébé est né._

[Taylor and Rozanne] didn’t have to fight, she said. There were a million other ways to settle such an understandable conflict. However, the name designated to this entire class in the Hierarchy carries meaning.

Four zones. From around the tower to the inside of its delightfully magnificent, majestic, beautiful rooms Taylor was taken. Flowers and angelic patterns lined every room; it felt like a new experience for him. The last one, however, struck a chord; it was a technologically advanced, yet empty room.

All of this experience from the comfort of the entrance of the Dark Tower. Five floors.

(Sequence 2C)

"If you want to enter the Dark Tower and find the answer you seek, you will have to pass our test. Withstand our ambush for long enough - defeat us, even - and you can enter."

[Taylor] "You're the only one here making Spirit Fighter act up! How about I remove you from the picture instead?"

[Rozanne] "Are you sure? An exorcism is due to be processed. We have detected a foreign presence in your system, which is why we barricade the door."

[Taylor] "I'll remove that spell from me, the thing slowing me down. That's why I came down here in the first place."

[Rozanne] "....Then I'm afraid we have no choice."

Spirit Fighter enables itself as Rozanne's Mirrors prime themselves. They aim at every angle Taylor can see at once, constantly getting repelled by Spirit Fighter's motions. The area changes to that of a school cafeteria.

[Taylor] "I'm not even doing anything!"

[Rozanne] "...I see. Spirit Fighter seems to be acting by itself."

Tazmily attempts a flying lunge which Taylor slides under. He turns around, kicks the table at her, then blocks Rosemary's attack. Throwing her overhead, he fires several small missiles at them. None of them actually land.

[Taylor] "Huh? Are you girls invincible?!"

[Rozanne] "NOW you're catching on! We've specifically developed this test to break the limits imposed on you by the thing possessing Spirit Fighter!"

[Taylor] "....Alright, throw it at me."

All four Mirrors fully power themselves up. They kick Taylor to a wall, then turn him around and throw him aside. A four hit sword combo from Rosemary launches him to _another_ wall, then Rozanne herself - perched on top of a tall structure - fires a precise ray of energy at him, exploding on contact. Tazmily reversal throws him toward one of the tables he kicked over, then they all pile small cars on top of his downed body using conjuration.

[Rozanne] "Girls, now we wait. Something will happen with Spirit Fighter."

Indeed, Spirit Fighter sets itself free from Taylor, breaking all the cars open. The girls prepare fighting stances. Taylor then wakes up and begins to stand on his own.

[Taylor] "...Okay, that was quite a show... Was that the thing causing me to do that all along? How long were you hidden, Spirit Fighter?!"

The machine turns around and speaks with a deep, low voice.

[Kaumaha] "I wish not to be referred to with that name. Call me Kaumaha[1], and forever put me away from your midst!"

[Taylor] "What did I do?"

[Kaumaha] "I know you attempted to exorcise your stone-hearted curse, but your acts of attempted appreciation for the arcane arts[2] has left me sorely disappointed!"

Kaumaha then unleashes a flash of light, blinding Taylor and the girls.

When the light fades, Taylor is nowhere to be found, while the girls are trying to figure out where Kaumaha went.

[Sequence 2 complete]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1: "Kaumaha" means "depression" in Hawaiian.
> 
> 2\. Amphorism, or the process of creating Visual arts that capture the heartstrings, potentially leading to a psychological side effect many label "cute aggression". Also called "Cuteness Creation" among the Artists' Guild.


	3. Sequence 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takes place after Overture Book 2 chapter 20, and by extension Polar World 66
> 
> I would put this on while reading: https://youtu.be/jHPAnj_Lcbo

Standing on an alternate Route 66, a bridge connected to a cave entrance, a figure with familiar fur colors stands with her back turned to Taylor. Drawing a circle in the air with her sword, she then cuts the orange wall in front of her. She and Taylor are then swept away by the wave of white particles.

A black room.

[Taylor] “Yep, I’m gonna hate this.”

The feline figure turns around, glitching between black and orange-yellow.

[Rozanne] “It is I.”

[Taylor] “Wait, that’s you?”

[Rozanne] “Did you expect something grandiose?”

Her sword is similar to Nine Lives in nature, being a blue laser sword, except slightly longer.

[Taylor] “You said you wouldn’t fight me!”

[Rozanne] “Well, some changes have to be made. I’m now obligated to duel with you.”

[Taylor] “Why?”

[Rozanne] “Because Kaumaha has left its mark on you over the years. It’s about time you lightened up and learned to embrace your style.”

[Taylor] “My style… Amphora?”

[Rozanne] “Screw that, that was a form of Kitty Magic developed for beginners. We’re moving into the real deal now.”

[Taylor] “I’d drop dead at the sight of it!”

[Rozanne] “That’s the point. I will need to extract your soul to purify it. Your mission, _senor_ , was dubbed….”

Rozanne dashes over to surprise Taylor with a swipe.

Taylor quickly parries it and attempts to kick a teleporting Rozanne back.

[Rozanne] “Really, mate?”

She teleports behind him and strikes him, launching him forward. She teleports, strikes him three times, then kicks him upward.

[Rozanne] “Is it true that a cat always lands on its feet?”

Taylor proves that hypothesis correct, though he stumbles over a bit as he does.

[Taylor] “Wow, they weren’t kidding when they said you were best in class.”

[Rozanne] “And how long were you in the business?”

[Taylor] “I just started! That’s why I’m engaging in this mission! The one I’ve called Append:9999.”

[Rozanne] “That’s a curious number. Is it supposed to represent something?”

[Taylor] “Perhaps.”

He summons one of his Junctions, Phoebe. She rushes over only for Rozanne to trip her up and blast her head open with a Kitty Magic projectile. She then turns her head and tilts her neck around.

Taylor, horrified, summons Phobos. Rozanne just stabs him in the heart and cuts him in two.

[Rozanne] “Alright, enough joking around. See if you can handle this!”

She conjures the Sovereign Sigil, summoning a Synth mecha dubbed “CE-920”. Outfitted with a gatling gun and a large blade, it is designed to be near-impossible to destroy.

Taylor blocks the bullets it fires, but before he can leap over and cut it down, the mech stabs him in the heart.

[Taylor] “...Fast, aren’t you…?”

[Rozanne] “...Still needs work. Alright girls, let’s get started.”


	4. Sequence 4

(Sequence 4A)

Taylor’s body tumbles throughout the space of the black room before landing in a familiarly hellish location: The Meld.

Unbelievably, Taylor, now without a soul, gets up just in time to take in his surroundings and witness a squirrel with a golden fur color dive below the cliff.

Following her, he stops his descent half-way down to watch this squirrel take down more Twosides than he can count. With graceful paw swipes and careful footwork, she took not a scratch of damage.

Taylor finally descends to her level and speaks to her.

[Taylor] “Honestly, with that mechanic getup, I never would have took you for a fighter with that level of skill and style.”

[Nico] “I used to be a Junction – and a malformed one at that.”

[Taylor] “Wow, when was that?”

[Nico] “I don’t remember and I don’t care. The Twosides are way more important than anything the past has to say.”

[Taylor] “Right. Where are we headed to next?”

[Nico] “I heard that Kaumaha has assembled a personal army of Synth mechs called “Spirit Fighters”…

[Taylor, rolling his eyes] “ _Oh yeah, Spirit Fighters. Oh how very original.”_

[Nico] “...and one of them, Mega-S, is close to us!”

[Taylor] “Well, who’s gonna put a stop to them? Me or you?”

[Nico] “My name’s Nico.”

(Sequence 4B)

Taylor ignites his sword and meets Mega-S (surprisingly humanoid from what Taylor expected) up close on the building he’s perched on. Somehow the Meld is connected to a functioning city complex through one of the tunnels inside the depths. Hell is not quite so bad after all, is it?

Mega-S is a rather--

[Taylor] “Let’s save the description for later.”

Taylor runs up to Mega-S and despite the bulky machine’s attempts to put up walls, Taylor cut through every last one of them to get to him.

He moves back and puts up five walls? Taylor dices them straight across and keeps running.

He puts up an island statue? Taylor _runs up that statue_ and kicks it, causing it to tumble and pin down Mega-S.

[Taylor] “Not so fast when you’re forced to actually move, huh?”

[Mega-S] “Yes...she split your soul from your body, no? Master Kaumaha has made several arrangements for the old thing, too. I bet she can’t purify it before it goes out of control, can she?”

[Taylor] “I have all the confidence in the world that it would only provide mixed results. I should be able to grow a new one before I go up there and purge my old one. But if it becomes a god before I do…”

[Mega-S] “Don’t think too far ahead now. You might end up being consumed by the future!”

[Taylor] “The future is something that is made, not determined.”

Mega-S gets back up and tries to punch Taylor. He grabs that hand and swiftly cuts it down. Taylor then kicks Mega-S in the air and activates one of his Dormant Junctions, which currently goes without a name. Jumping in the air, he swipes horizontally and vertically thirteen times, ending his ascent with a proud upright cut, splitting Mega-S into pieces.

Landing, Taylor peers down the roof to see Nico battling it out with a group of Twosides and another low-grade Spirit Fighter, Adel-01. It is a bipedal plantigrade mech with two large cannons and a powerful kick. Regardless, Nico’s ability to dance around anything that isn’t a Singularity has proven successful against these enemies.

[Taylor] “You got a lot of combos to make up for that lack of power.”

(Sequence 4C)

[Rozanne] “Alright, I think this should work.”

She arranges some Sync Cards in a certain formation; five in a star arrangement with three more forming a straight line. The board itself has a perpetually shifting design on the front side; One moment you may see stars, another instant you may see the artwork of a random Sync Card/Image Poster. This is important for Singularities like Rozanne to do proper concoction work. After all, if anything goes out of hand, it could spell doom for the entire experiment.

Rozanne flourishes a wooden staff with a ball-shaped end to it; she infuses it with a SINGLE Junction’s energy, that of Phoebe’s. She winds up for an attack and strikes the restrained soul with a Junction-fueled impact.

Taylor all of a sudden sees another black room, this time with facsimiles of Rozanne and Phoebe walking around. “Phoebe” then rushes after “Rozanne” and pins “her” to a wall, both of them covered in hexadecimal code. The whole experience all goes by so fast for him, yet he didn’t know what the cause was. All he could think of is a way to dull the pain caused by Rozanne’s strike. Taylor attempts to step forward, only to meet a floor of only hex code.

[Taylor] “Who was it that struck me?”

He carefully steps over the red tiles on the floor, being sure not to cause any additional harm to himself.

[Taylor] “Everyone steps on these things and they get a rush of energy! It’s not the same with me, for some reason!”

[Rozanne, through Route 66] “No, Tazmily, it’s not a matter of injecting more Kitty Magic. That would do the opposite of what we’re trying to do. Simply put, our target needs to--”

Taylor runs a “stop all terminals” command using his mind:

`# scrub -p dod /dev/sdb`

  
Causing reality within his view to fold and take everyone in that collective consciousness into a dark space known as Limbo. Nico goes, Taylor goes, Rozanne and the girls go… A truly mesmerizing trip to space and all that accompanies the Acute Hierarchy awaits them all.

  
  


_Take a rest. You do not have to strain yourself mastering the arts of Amphora, or Kitty Magic, or any variations thereof. All you need to do is empty your inner being and fill it with that your are trying to master. No vocal appreciation required. It’s all in the mind._

  
  


The Junctions and Sync Cards/Image Posters fill the void, but there is no-one there to take that in. No-one except Taylor, who isn’t currently visible...

Somewhere in an unidentified location, the lightbulb in a room goes so bright that the sheer power generated completely blows it up.


	5. Sequence 5

Within Limbo, however, there were some walking spaces. Areas where Taylor didn’t have to rely on his fresh pair of translucent blue wings. Marks of a Singularity, because some mammals had them too. They just didn’t show them in areas other than the Cognitive World. That is where Taylor appears to be in at the moment.

After flying through a huge tunnel full of past sights and senses that were all too fast for him to analyze, he landed in a mysterious club. This was a confined area where almost everyone that he knew from World A gathered. Except something was wrong. The Riot Pensive in the background was a dead giveaway.

[Judy, in Chinese] “What brings you here?”

[Taylor, in English] “I think I showed up in the wrong neighborhood.”

He attempts to make a getaway through the only door in the club, only for said Twoside to block his entrance. The Invocation Beat rings throughout the room, which the Twoside reacts to. Undeterred, Taylor kicks the thing through the door, prompting the other “mammals” to follow Taylor and crowd around him. Nico showed up from above the room just in time to unleash a mini-gun against them.

[Nico] “White blood? This is…”

[Taylor] “Familiar. Are they Twosides?”

[Nico] “That’s the only assumption I can make for the time being. Do you have your wings yet?”

Taylor unfurls them right before her eyes.

[Nico] “Big, bold things, too. Now use them to fly out of here!”

[Taylor] “Why?”

[Nico] “This is the Alternative Club. It’s probably the most mixed community you’ve seen yet.”

[Taylor] “But I like mixed!”

[Nico] “Just fly!”

Taylor does so, ascending all the way to the skies of the Meld.

[Taylor] “Alright, let’s see…”

The same cliff he started in is visible to him now, and the new angle means he sees a part of it he didn’t know existed: a door.

Landing, putting his wings away and entering this entrance, he sees nothing but a Magic Poster on the center of a sizable platform...along with the side of the Meld he never saw before. A sprawling, somewhat hellish-looking hub of red vines and crimson crystals where the Guild members trace their power. It’s what makes them Singularities.

[Taylor] “They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions...well, what can I say?”

He marches over to the Magic Poster, eager to improve his Visual talent. That’s when a mysterious Twoside marches over to the same beat and kicks the Poster upward.

[Rave Pensive] “A being confined to the whims of a parent...You will not be allowed to reach Zootopia so easily!”

[Taylor] “And you all start thinking the same way the minute I enter the room. You know, I’m way more powerful than all you depressives think I am, so there’s no way my decisions can be dictated so easily. Now if you excuse me, I have a rabbit to draw--”

Rave Pensive shifts the platform so that it disappears, leaving only it and Taylor standing on nothing. It functions as an elevator, taking them both to the heights of World A.

[Taylor] “First you don’t want me to go, now you’re taking me there! Make up your mind? Or...do you not have one. You ARE a Twoside, after all.”

Rave Pensive summons a DJ set and launches five rings with it.

Taylor sprouts his wings and dives out of the way. He then rushes at RP with his sword activated.

With no melee weapon of its own, RP evades some of Taylor’s swings, putting up protective shields as it does so.

Taylor, not giving up so easily, makes a half-circle motion with his sword and launches six waves of energy with it. Some of the waves are aimed left and right to circumvent the dodging methods.

RP puts up another shield, reflecting one of the waves back at Taylor.

In response, Taylor summons one of his Dormant Junctions – the same one he used against Mega-S, this time named Baby Phat. This juvenile vulpine rushes at RP, completely nullifying the reflected wave and pushes it up against the ascending wall.

This chips away at the Twoside’s head, revealing gruesome mechanical parts that look bizarrely organic.

[Taylor] “Wow, for a mass-produced organism, you sure do know how to freak someone out. Get a load of “Carbon Machine” over here!”

Within moments, RP is sent beyond the ascending wall, seemingly trailing below the “platform” it summoned.

[Taylor] “I can see World A from here!”

Indeed, he reappears from the skies of Zootopia, with a look that says “I can’t wait to land and regroup with the allies!”

Except RP somehow returned, looking to push Taylor away to divert him away from the landing point...


	6. Append:9999-B - Movement 1

Another black-footed cat exits the darkness, laser sword in hand. It was green in color this time, unlike Taylor’s. His facial features looked much less realistic than Taylor, and his dress was radically different. He wore a dark green sweatshirt alongside matching green sweatpants. His voice suggested someone of a moody disposition, but it conceals something much greater...

[???] “I step forward once again. Now, where is my next mission?”

Rozanne makes an unexpected appearance towards him. She – as well as he – put their paws up to prepare for a battle. Their punches and kicks vibrate the air, seemingly moving the room around. Their last clash, a blocked punch, creates a massive shockwave that ruffles their fur.

[Rozanne] “Not bad for sparring, huh?”

[???] “Well, I’ve seen better moves, but you’ve got it down by quite a bit. Though, you do seem to be a bit predictable on my end. You see…”

[Both] “I haven’t taken a single hit yet.”

**15 Minutes Later…**

Taylor arrives to Append:9999-B, the final destination. A huge scarlet platform made of crystals amid a pink, yet colorful background. He shows up to meet a powerful opponent whose defeat marks the end of his perilous journey to prove how resilient to the Amphora and the Kitty Magic he is.

[Taylor] “Hello?…Well, it appears my guest has shown up late. I’ll prepare the concessions while I wait.”

[White Armored Mammal behind him] “No need.”

She has emerged from the ground somehow having seen Taylor coming from minutes away. She wears sleek, futuristic armor from head to toe, with parts for the ears and a hole for the tail. Her appearance suggests majestic power, for while she doesn’t stand much taller than Taylor himself, she does sport massive wings bigger than herself that unlock her true potential.

[Taylor] “Oh? I heard that you were my final opponent. Can you tell me what your name is?”

[White Armored Mammal] “For the time being, I prefer to be named Unity. Now, can you tell me your name? Or can you tell how familiar I look? The Apport Necklace you wear, it’s a total lie. You probably cannot withstand my attacks for longer than a few minutes. Let’s just see what your eligibility for our group amounts to.”

Unity holds her paw out. In it spawns a sizable double-bladed spear, similar to Taylor’s own Ophelia. Realizing this connection, Taylor summons his identical weapon and engages combat with Unity. However, she is easily able to parry and block his attacks, seeing him as a predictable mammal. Taylor attempts to block her next kick with his left arm, but the sheer force behind it breaks his parry and sends him flying.

[Taylor] “Why must your kind hurt me so?”

Unity turns her spear into a harp and pulls its strings, releasing four arrows with each pull. Taylor gets up and evades the arrows three times – for that is how many times she fired them – and reacts with gunfire.

[Unity] _“Really?”_

She lets the bullets strike the side of her helmet, doing zero damage to her and her armor.

[Unity] “I’m not devoted to playing around.”

[Taylor] “Me neither.”

[Unity] “Good.

Unity raises her paws and plants them on the ground. She then gets up and spreads her arms wide, creating a whirlpool of lightning and darkness. Frantically, Taylor attempts to run the other direction, only to nearly meet his end getting sucked in the void.

[Black-Footed Cat from earlier] “Disengage protocol, Unity!”

[Unity] “Huh?”

He shows up just in time to grab Taylor’s paw and save him from the whirlpool. Unity deactivates her whirlpool and slightly lowers her helmet’s face-concealing visor, revealing a set of bright pink eyes. They looked almost robotic with the way they glowed.

[Unity] “Richard, now is not the time. I’ve been searching for a way to exorcise Taylor’s condition from him for a long time. I ran out of options!”

[Richard] “You have not. Imperfect as we all are, we are still above average.”

[Taylor] “Wait, you know her?”

[Richard] “We both have the same mission in mind.”

[Taylor] “Which is?”

[Both] “To save you.”

[Taylor] “…”

[Richard] “I have devised a plan. Let’s regroup with Resilience in Append:9999-C and we’ll work things out.”

[Taylor] “Wait, help a cat out here! What are you two doing?!”

[Unity] “You’ll figure it out. Go back to your Domain, we have a surprise for you.”

Richard teleports to the area that he refers to, while Unity opens up a pathway below Taylor, putting him back in his Domain.

[Taylor] “Wait, where did my Necklace go?”

Richard, in an unidentified shed, spins a large spear (codenamed “Joy”) around and plants it on the ground, destroying several Silver Twosides around him with beams of light. His armor resembles Unity’s to a degree, except it is dark blue instead of white. His eyes, concealed under the visor covering his face, are bright cyan. His new codename is “Fortitude”.

[Fortitude] “Where do we meet at?”

[Unity] “The heart of Append. It’s the big, white circle in the middle of several buildings. You’ll know it when you see it.”

[Fortitude] “Got it.”

Fortitude exits the room and puts away his spear. He then summons another one, cleaving three Silver Twosides with one of the blades. Their clear internals spray all over Fortitude’s armor to no effect, since it melts away.

Exiting the hallway, he locates his motorcycle and enters it, closing the hood as he does so. He closes the hood, enters the passcode on it (“3416”) and takes off, barreling through the limited palette of a town painted entirely in dark purple. Riding through the place, it gives him the idea of somewhere dark, and monstrous. Yet, he knows how resilient to all manner of “Amphorism” he and his crew is. What kind of silly concept is that, he thought. He knew good and well that Amphora, Kitty Magic, and even the Apport were all different names and colors for the same thing.

[Fortitude] _“_ _Taylor doesn’t know this yet, but gazing upon these Junctions isn’t a bad thing at all. Someone so thin-furred like him just doesn’t know when to give up his so-called “masculinity”… Little does he know that beneath my “tough guy” facade that he’s known for so long, there is someone who knows all manner of things to do with weapons of war and the magic of creation. Indeed, there’s a lot in those two Guilds he doesn’t know, and I’m all too willing to fill in the gaps--”_

Fortitude’s train of thought was broken by a transmission.

[Resilience] “Of course I couldn’t let the Saints go by alive! They are some of Taylor’s toughest units!”

[Fortitude] “ _Saints? What is that squirrel talking about? And they’re linked to Taylor? Here I thought it was only the Silver Twosides I had to worry about!”_

[Unity] “But you do understand how vital they are to our mission of getting to and eliminating Kumaha, right, Qa--”

[Resilience] “Does my name start with Q?”

[Unity] “Ah, slip of the tongue...”

[Fortitude] “It kinda does, yeah.”

[Unity] “Hush!”

Fortitude can’t help but chuckle at how flimsy their codenames are. Everyone in World A knows each other, and with that kind of intelligence on their fingertips, it’s not that big of a deal.

Unity, Resilience, and Fortitude arrive at the white circle, dubbed “Novum Ac Repertum”. It is swarming with these so-called “Saints”, which are dark clones of Taylor wearing holy garments. They fight with large, divine-looking polearms along with daggers engraved with a mysterious cipher.

[Fortitude] “Well… are you girls ready?”

[Unity] “I hope so because this mission – easy for us, hard for him – will determine how far he goes into the future.”


	7. Append:9999-B - Movement 2

The three enter the white circle, being completely ignored by the Saints around it.

Inside is a complete replica of Zootopia...’s water’s edge. The city was still visible in the background, but the three were still quite far away from it. They stood on the water, aided by Time Blink, which slows time to a halt.

[Unity] “Now, I didn’t expect this out of Taylor’s mind…”

[Resilience] “Look out! On your nine!”

A whirlpool opens up as they look to their left and see an upgraded Titan; the Pensive Juggernaut. Not seeing the opening coming, they fall in and once again depend on Time Blink to halt their descent.

[Resilience] “Be _extra_ prepared!”

The Juggernaut sees the heroes and walks towards them, readying a big stomp.

[Fortitude] “Watch this.”

Fortitude grabs the legs once it lets its foot down, giving the other two an opening to fight back.

[Fortitude] “Now!”

Resilience spins with her sword outstretched while Unity flies above her and performs a brave cut on the Juggernaut’s face, damaging it enough for it to reel back.

[Resilience] “Weird, my sword didn’t make it flinch…”

[Unity] “They call it a Juggernaut for a reason.”

Unity opens up an arm-mounted cannon and fires four shots at it. Not bothering to be flinched, the Juggernaut readies a punch.

[Fortitude] “You want a punching bag?! Well, you got one!”

He takes out a Sync Card and connects it with his laser sword. Out comes a white cat who restrains the armored beast’s limb with a psychic hold.

[Unity] “A psychic cat? Where have I seen that bef--”

[Fortitude] “Less talking, more fighting!”

Unity fires more shots at the Juggernaut while Resilience pulls a supercharged arrow back.

[Fortitude] “Alright Theo, do your magic.”

He lets go, Unity stops firing, Resilience lets go of the arrow, dealing enough damage to the giant to knock it over, then “Theo” summons a blue block of psychic energy, making the weighted object fall on the Juggernaut. The colossus ceases movement.

[Unity] “Great! ...Now, where do we head next?”

[???] “Elsewhere.”

Time Blink runs out _just_ when the voice says that, taking all three of them to the Meld.

Inside the not-so-hellish dimension stands… Taylor?! What is he doing here?

[Taylor] “These images you have here, the ones on your cards. That terrifying thought of having to throw the things that make me who I am just to appreciate their value… This is why I shy away from things like Magic Posters and Sync Cards and--”

[Unity] “You use them all the time! You have the power of the Visual on your side! Without it, you wouldn’t…”

[Taylor] “They gave it to the wrong person. Someone who isn’t quite as capable of processing such abstract concepts as you guys are. See, you there, my successor, could probably gaze upon a thousand Magic Posters and leave off without any loss of power. Mine simply isn’t as great as yours.”

[Resilience] “It’s not what you take in. It’s how you choose to react to it. Stop backing away and face it.”

[Taylor] “ **Tell that to the Fellowship!”**

[Unity, Resilience, and Fortitude] “The what?!”

Taylor duplicates himself into three differently colored black-footed cats, each with different weapons.

[Fortitude] “You two focus on the clones. I’ll take on the main one.”

The two do just so, going in with weapons drawn, clashing against the clones. Fortitude goes right for Taylor. The real one’s dodging is quite impressive especially for someone that claims he lacks power. Like, look at him – he’s swerving around Fortitude’s individual swipes like they weren’t there to begin with! A fleeting flash of fur, he was, parrying Fortitude’s attacks when he needed to.

[Taylor] “An escape artist like me needs not worry about the paralyzing effects of so-called “good art”.”

[Fortitude] “All that running away is costing you from that good material. Besides, the one time you _didn’t_ run away, you put yourself to sleep for like 30 minutes.”

[Taylor] “Which further proves my point!”

Taylor keeps parrying and dodging Fortitude’s attacks like nobody’s business while Fortitude tires himself out trying to hit the guy. Finally, Taylor does something about Fortitude’s badgering and launches an angelic air strike against him.

[Fortitude] “Of all the bloody things you come up with…”

Fortitude summons Theo again and uses him to teleport around the areas where the angels’ arrows land.

[Taylor] “So far, so good, huh?”

Taylor attempts to reach in for a surprise sword strike…

_An axe swing rings the air, surprising the three armored units!_

Nothing but a faint heartbeat can be heard from Taylor as he falls to his knees and collapses without a second thought. Behind him is the culprit, _another_ armored unit – a serval(?), rather - named Glory.

[Glory] “The _real_ angel will be here any minute now. His essence has been transferred to him, meaning that reality stays stable under the protection of a new vessel.”

[Unity] “What will happen to the Taylor on the outside?”

[Glory] “He’s still living. That is, under a new mindset. The angel will possess no initial harm to you lot, but do be aware of his… vulnerabilities.”

[Fortitude] “To what?”

[Glory] “Unity, how about you show him?”

Unity charges up a ball of Kitty Magic… and throws it straight at Glory, knocking him back far enough to knock over the wall covering up the south part of the Meld. The thing sealing the angel, a statue, can be seen in the distance just behind Glory’s impact zone. Taylor is still out cold, but his “new vessel” can be seen slowly gathering up energy.

[Glory] “The angel will keep him company. Do you not want that kind of future for him?!”

[Fortitude] “Better he grow one himself than rely on the extraneous powers of a pre-existing template! Imagine what other kinds of side effects that “angel” might come with!”

[Glory] “Indeed. You do not wish the best for his capacity to take in the sights of the Artists’ Guild. If his individuality is a priority…”

The angel, Azurael, awakens from his stone prison, startling Glory when his wings unfurl. He speaks with a booming voice that gives off a feeling of certain fate.

[Azurael] “Has anyone ever told you not to try to kill the unkillable?”

He reconfigures his body and levitates Glory off the ground.

[Azurael] “You and your little army down there have caused more than enough trouble for me. This little optimistic facade you see here… **It’s gone.** You see an opportunity to witness a feeling of truth. Now, what will you do?”

He tosses Glory up in the air and fires a gigantic white sphere of death at him. Glory quickly brandishes his double-sided staff of bladed rings and spins it rapidly, repelling the sphere.

[Azurael] “Huh? I don’t remember you wielding that…”

[Glory] “The power of the Narrative can do lots of things, you know. I didn’t spend weeks literally plotting the course of nature for nothing, now did I?”

[Azurael] “You WROTE THAT into your inventory?!”

Glory takes out a fountain pen along with a notebook. Written in the notebook is a lot of things that he reasonably shouldn’t have.

[Glory] “Who did you think I was, another Twoside?”

Glory takes off his serval-like helmet and chucks it at Azurael, which he predictably deflects. Azurael suddenly recognizes his face.

[Azurael] “Allison? How long were you hiding?”

[Allison] “For as long as I needed to. Now, let’s spice things up.”

Allison puts all of his things away and snaps his fingers. Everyone is teleported to a highway area where cars are constantly passing by. The cars on the left lane look normal, but on the lane of the armored units (and Azurael)…

[Fortitude] “Look alive!”

He turns around, kicks a Pensive Speed (a car Twoside) in the distance. He then jumps on the front of another one, sending it flying. With Allison’s help, he is able to conjure a rocket launcher and fire it at the Speed, sending it flying further towards a Yamato. This destroys the flying fortress’ side. Unity and Allison go after Azurael. With Allison’s Narrative powers, this shouldn’t be too difficult. Azurael floats further and further away from them, summoning objects to block their path with. They just cut and knock them away.

[Unity] “So what’s your relationship with this “angel”?”

[Allison] “Ah, I played a trick with you guys. He is my depressed other half.”

[Fortitude] “Actually…”

Fortitude and Resilience follow closely behind.

[Fortitude] “He’s MY other half. Despite appearances, I’m the more optimistic one.”

[Unity] “Then why is the lazier one stronger?!”

[Allison and Fortitude] “Because this is HIS world, and the Narrative can only go so far under his rule!”

[Resilience] “What is the Narrative, anyway?”

[Allison] “The power to control reality. A fate-controlling mechanism that I use to direct life the way it has to go. It doesn’t work everywhere. Where it doesn’t, I tell the story of the places where it _does_ work.”

[Unity] “Then, if you can control reality--”

[Fortitude] “The angel’s power is making the highway bent out of shape!”

Indeed, Azurael tilts the highway platform upward to block progress.

[Azurael] “Ah yes. This is the way life is doomed to go. With no effort left to combat hardships, the realities shall forever fold in on themselves and terminate. There is only one--

Allison commands the Narrative and picks up the piece of the bridge that folded inward, breaks it off, and throws it at Azurael.

[Azurael] “You optimistic sh—s don’t know when to stop, huh?”

He tosses it aside and builds a whole brick wall over the broken road. Allison picks each brick apart piece by piece and turns it into a sword. He swings this gargantuan weapon and actually knocks Azurael aside. Landing in the trees, he raises his arms high and fells them all.

[Azurael] “It was as the Master said. Continue to avoid making the face, and you will only slow down the process that decides where we all end up.”

[Allison] “Okay then. Name all three classes of Twoside.”

[Azurael] “...What? There are classes?”

[Allison] “If you don’t know the Depressive Hierarchy like you should, then you are more vulnerable to attack.

Allison preemptively changes the armored units’ footing. He takes them all to the sky, the apex of Taylor’s consciousness.

Azurael, meanwhile, struggles to hold back a dangerous, terrifying transformation. His wings turn yellow and grow keychain-like faces on them, his head fades from view, and his entire body morphs into a terrifying mishmash of Twoside and angel. This is the effect of his hesitance, his hesitance from the fine works of the world.

[Allison] “Do you see it coming now? Only those who continue thinking the way they still do will lose out on the opportunity to have a clean, stable--”

The Twoside in him, **Depressive Solution,** extends his “arm” towards Allison, stabbing him clean in the heart.

[Unity] “Wait! If you kill him, then what’ll happen to reality? Won’t it collapse?!”

[“Azurael”] “Well? Isn’t that what we’ve been trying to do all along? I can’t look at those things anymore! I have a lot of other things ahead of me! Like pushing everyone else to a non-optimistic state! Art is just a--”

Fortitude levitates Allison’s weapon towards him, and with it, the entire Narrative. He carefully spins the staff and blocks Solution’s projectiles. Solution then takes a swipe at him.

[Fortitude] “Step aside, everyone.”

He nullifies the attack with a fired Sync Card.

[Fortitude] “Nah, it hasn’t gone anywhere. These are infinite use as long as those color gradients are still there. Watch!”

He repeatedly summons variations of weapons used by others. This includes Taylor’s twin guns. He takes flight around the air, forcing Solution to follow him around. At least Fortitude took the time to teleport everyone into a state of limbo before taking off.

[Solution] “Stop darting around!”

[Fortitude] “Fix your face then!”

HE fires repeated shots out of his rocket launcher, stunning Solution. He then rushes forward and swipes another power of Taylor’s – the Visual.

[Fortitude] “What’s it called when you put two and two together? A comic book?”

He offhandedly blocks Solution’s path with a barrier.

[Fortitude] “Huh, I only put this up by barely thinking about it. How powerful am I?!”

Turning around, he takes several swipes at Solution with an extra-long beam sword, then knocks him away with a single punch.  
[Fortitude] “Wow! I must be the strongest Creator out there-- _ahem_. Are we going to finish this arrangement, or not?”

[Solution] “….”

[Fortitude] “Are you too terrified at the sudden fate you and your buddies will have to undergo? The fate of having to gaze into the visage of--”

[Solution, taking on a British voice for whatever reason] “Ah! Don’t say it! It etches **fear** into my weak and inhospitable mind!”

[Fortitude] “Good.”

He Recalls the imprint found on Sync Cards and Magic Posters. These are known as Designs.

[Fortitude] “They say that any Twoside type that looks into these for too long will suffer an eternal gaze-induced torment and die because of it… Taylor, are you a Twoside, by any chance?

[Solution AND Taylor in his Domain] “Yes.”

[Fortitude] “...Really?”

[Solution] “Born into the ranks of the Zootopians, but containing the hidden flaws of many a Twoside… It’s clear that I belong with them now. Please, anything you can do to spare me from that Design you have there! #5995, the one in your hand. You have NO IDEA what those Sovereign Sigils can do to me!”

[Fortitude] “Why do you hunt your own kind? Is it to get away from something that you will eventually see a lot of anyway? Do you want to break away and blend in with us genuine folk?”

[Taylor] “I do it because I hate depression. The Twoside ranks look absolutely _hideous…_ their faces inspire nothing but endless depression… I didn’t think I’d actually become one of them. And now, faced with the possibility of having to hunt you down--”  
  


[Solution] “You had ONE chance at solving our issue! Now look at what you’ve done!”

Solution forcibly ejects itself from Taylor, reverting the latter into his normal body. Allison dives down to catch him before he falls to his death because that wouldn’t be very nice, now would it?

[Solution] “And now that you know you can’t turn your back…”

[Fortitude] “The Narrative didn’t do this, what’s going on?”

[Solution] “I shall take my leave and finish what that Reiner guy started!”

Fortitude freezes his body in place with the Narrative. He then gives Taylor some breathing room by making his body weightless. He can now float is what I’m saying. Taylor, relieved out of his life, offers gratitude to Fortitude.

[Fortitude] “Not now. Hey Solution, you want to crawl back in your body? Because there’s no way you’re going to conquer the world without the one holding everything together.”

[Solution] “Yes, there is.”

Solution then darts toward Taylor at a blinding speed. Fortitude attempts to hold him back with the Narrative, but that overpowered blue force actually **breaks apart** , forcing Fortitude to witness Taylor’s body detonate under Solutions sheer depressive power.

[Fortitude] “All this for a Design?! Come on, it would only take five seconds!”

The sky folds in on itself and collapses. The highway below sinks into the water, which evaporates. The ground below that water then shakes and crumbles apart. The trees quickly wither and die, and the current state of reality…

**COLLAPSES.**

[Fortitude] “Ah, some entities are just determined to run the world in their own suicidal little way.”

He quickly flees by opening a portal to outside of the highway. He ends up in limbo, where he evacuates everyone, attaching them to chains. Warping out of there into the Meld, he finds it breaking apart as well. To Fortitude’s horror, however, he finds Unity and Resilience slowly fading away. Allison, however, seems to be fine.

The Meld’s vines tear themselves apart, breaking holes in the walls that reveal pillars of light. The angels hiding behind the holes appear and dart to Fortitude’s front. They hold back the strength of literally a thousand Twosides. A thousand Twosides! Imagine that! No ordinary mammal would dare go against an army that size.

“Forever pensive! Forever pensive! Forever pensive!”

Their war chant echoes throughout Taylor’s creative center, making the angels afraid to approach them.

[Fortitude] “O defenders of all that is right, please perk yourselves up and continue fighting…!”

His words do not go anywhere (those cowardly angels fled!), forcing him to confront them himself. A single blast of Narrative Force later, and they disperse. Through the unmoving angelic sky Fortitude flies. Dodging massive pillars of stone, massive blades of light, and the panicking, yet gallant angelic forces, he is more than determined to get them to safety.

[Several angels] “The clouds are dispersing! Our forces are dwindling! Our structures have all fallen… there’s no way we’re getting back up from this!”

[Fortitude] “A Twoside invasion… of the mind? Who would do this?!”

His question unanswered, he continues darting toward the end of a collapsing zone.

Heading further into a building, he enters a door. He ends up into a familiar pink world…

[Fortitude] “Cuteness Valley?! Ah, even the Narrative is against me!”

[Unity] “...Forever...pe--”

[Fortitude] “Shut it! Just waking up, siding with those ruthless soldiers…!”

[Resilience] “Just...a mere...thoughtform...of his….”

[Fortitude] “Of Taylor’s?!”

[Allison] “Ahoy there, I’m not dead.”

[Fortitude] “Good. Do you want the Narrative back?”

[Allison] “Just my staff, thank you.”

Fortitude hands it back. Allison spins it so fast that it generates a singular beam of light that knocks Unity and Resilience aside.

[Allison] “They are mere illusions cast by Taylor! Imitations of the real Rozanne and Flower! We must hurry, the reality of things could fall on us any moment…!”

He says this as the two turn back and run toward the area that _isn’t_ crumbling. Fortitude--

[Fortitude] “Richard! I can see you through the Narrative, you know!”

Richard, rather, casts a blue circle in the middle of a patch in the Valley, taking them high above the skies of…

[Allison] “Is this…World B?”

They land, taking a pretty hard vibration through their bodies. They locate Taylor’s Domain in the Out There and jump there. Upon entering the place, the entire color palette has switched around to a trippy mix of purple, white, yellow and black.. In place of Taylor in his bed, however, there was...nothing.

[Allison] “He’s gone…? But where?”

[Richard] “Ah, let me check….

Well, let’s see, Allison. I have good news and bad news. The bad news is...Taylor’s consciousness is off with the Twosides.”

[Allison] “Ah, I knew it.”

[Richard] “But on the plus side… We still have a chance at fixing this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Solution is in fact Kaumaha. He, as a mere attachment for someone's body, saw the opportunity to completely merge himself with Taylor's new angelic vessel.


	8. Sequence A

Approaching the center of the Meld (the real one), Richard steps on the center platform. He was sent here because a certain armored unit has a challenge for him. 

"Snap your fingers and dodge the beam of light at just the right time".

Seems easy, right? Well, just as Richard accepts that request and [evades the beam without moving...](https://youtu.be/C8vpUCum4IA)

[Abstract Unity] "Ah, did you forget? You came here for--"

[Rochard] "I know exactly what I came here for."

Abstract Unity. This is Kaumaha's last resort at keeping the thing Taylor was after, the Acute Whisper, away from anyone even closely related to him. It is the thing "Spirit Fighter" came with, and it is what allowed Kaumaha to take on Unity's form. 

Abstract Unity summons a two-sided laser sword to his paw...

[Richard] "What's up with the two-sided blades? It's always that!"

...and goes directly after Richard, complementing graceful swipes and near-misses with parries and teleports alike. Richard's own laser sword can barely keep up with A.Unity's, the reaction time between the two being very close to each other.

[A.Unity] "Smile!"

He halts his approach with a flash of light from the Acute Whisper. It briefly blinds Richard but after that, he asks for more. "Do that again", he says. A.Unity, baffled, throws his laser sword at Richard, not caring that he swerves his head around, allowing it to go off the side of the platform. Why? Well, he can just summon the weapon back to his paw! Except for this time, it looks rather familiar. Gold and silver interlaced with royal patterns and a ruby embedded in the center...

[Richard] "Hey! That's...!"

A.Unity darts forward, spinning the weapon. With it, he makes a wide cut.

Richard steps to the right a bit, evading the attack. He ducks under the next swipe and almost hits A.Unity with a straight cross.

A.Unity teleports behind Richard and attempts a stab.

Richard backflips over it and lands three kicks and a sword swipe, causing A.Unity to be sent flying across the platform.

A.Unity breaks his fall by planting the staff on the ground, halting his momentum. He flips around it, then lands on the ground. Snapping his fingers, he calls forth a gigantic portal where a bus attempts to embed itself into Richard's body.

Richard quickly cuts the bus to pieces and kicks one of them to A.Unity. He also dashes forward in the process...

...As A.Unity also dashes forward, ducking under the thrown bus piece. 

They pass by each other, Richard taking the opportunity to graze A.Unity's armor.

[A.Unity] "What just happened?"

[Richard] "Try and attack me now!"

A.Unity teleports to Richard and executes a staff spin attack. Richard puts his hands to his hips and pretends to yawn.

[Richard] "Ah, see? I took the thing you valued most. The Acute Whisper. And there's no way you're getting it back."

[A.Unity] "Excuse me? I'll die trying this instant!"

His efforts only got Design #5995 (a brilliant ray of light) thrown right in his face. He flies so far off the platform that he can't even grab the ledge. Richard teleports over there using the Whisper and fires it again. A.Unity's armor cracks apart, shattering. There was nothing under there.

[Richard] "Alright, petty favors aside, let's take this for a spin."


End file.
